Really?! do the author of this piece even thought of what to write?

It is PNY.

It is fantastic that the author chooses to pick the side of manufacturer...

I was wondering this as well, how do they know?

Mining would definitely be much harder on the hardware. No one is gaming with the GPU at 100% 24/7, where mining is exactly that. Granted some gamers will play more hrs per day than others, but most games even don't consume 100% of the GPU every minute of the game, it usually varies.

This is a weird line they are trying to straddle.

I say, CASTRATE everyone who's mining (chemically, of course, I'm not a monster). And all their relatives, just to make sure "it" doesn't spread.
For more than a year now, the cheapest RX 570 4GB in Russia has been going for 339 USD (ASUS Expedition), which is the price of INNO3D brand 1060 6GB. I was soooo looking forward to getting 1080 Ti, but it seems like I NEVER WILL, because the cheapest one (MSI Armor X2) -  it costs the WHOPPING 966 USD! All because "someone's" been mining their Chinese coins in their mom's basement. The Government does nothing, the retail does nothing, it's f****** over for us.
HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!

It just means they are not capable graphics enough to take on mining apps or 24/7 gaming...
Of course, they won't use words like limits for gaming for warranty, they would go down hard. Its the same for whatever users do - they use computer to compute, is even manufacturer allowed to use something like that? Seems too intruding.

but how do you know if a card had been used for mining before?